What I’ve Always Got In My Travel Bag

I’ve got my ‘on board essentials’ down to a finely tuned art, or should I say a neat little toiletry bag. Things I can throw into my handbag or roll on luggage for every trip. I aim for privacy and efficiency when on board. My own little world, that doesn’t tick off the person seated next to me, shame the family name with weird masks etc or rely on anything that may be superfluous. Everything must be under 100ml of course. Here are your basics…

The first thing you should do on board is clean your skin. Keeping in mind the tiny size of the bathroom sinks, I opt for the cleansing wipes. I like Nivea, but there’s no need to spend too much money on this.

To give you peace of mind, hand wipes are handy. A little Dettol Instant HandSanitiser can be used right throughout your trip and ever since starting in TV I’ve had Wet Ones in my handbag, initially for hands, then to take stains out of clothes (the network stylist put me onto this) and now for my children who seem to get more food on their faces than in their tummies.

Now for the moisturiser. Anything that creates a bit of a hydrating mask is great, but I was once given Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask as a gift and am now reliant on it. Clarins Beauty Flash Balm as a mask is also great for your whole trip (perfect for jet lag) and apparently Joan Collins loves a layer of Vaseline all over her face. I couldn’t think of anything worse, but that Joan, she is well kept!

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. Speaking of masks, Victoria Beckham uses this as hers when on board, but I actually use it for everything from cuticle cream to relief on itchy bites. Either way, pack it now, thank me later.

Lanolips – I can’t explain why the air con on board is so horrendous, but I can say that lanolin is the ultimate soother. I always wear this on my lips, sometimes around my eyes and cuticles too. Now I wear the tinted Lanolips everyday for my lippy.

Spritzer – no, not the drink, the water spray, use liberally, whenever, wherever. I like Evian, which I just grab at the airport chemist, or Caudalie have a lovely one and Trilogy too. Rose smells divine, lavender scents to soothe and mint to wake you up.

Earplugs, eye masks & socks – the socks are of course to keep your feet warm, but heaven help the traveller who goes into the loo with bare feet. Earplugs are also great throughout your trip when you wake at 3am due to whatever sound is thrown at you and the masks are essential too for your whole journey.

Hand cream – even if only to lift your spirits on board, a little tub goes a long way. I love the L’Occitane ‘Subtle Violet’, it’s tiny and effective.

Last minute chemist run – travel sized hairspray (Cedel), dry shampoo (Klorane), Panadol, Zyrtec, Immodium, over the counter sleeping tablets, travel sized toothpaste, chewing gum. These are little items that I always seem to be grateful for halfway though a trip for buying before I leave home. You can pickup some Clairol Final Net at the airport.

A good eye cream to de-puff, be it from altitude or jet lag is essential. I like the Clinique ‘all about eyes’ and I recently started using the mans Kiehls ‘Eye Alert’, it works!

Suncream – At home I’ve mountains of this, but always forget it for travel. Load up! Cetaphil Suntivity is my choice as I’ve sensitive skin and tend to share suncream with the crew. The good old Peppa Pig suncream by the Cancer Council is great for kids.

Visine eyedrops – The cabin pressure plays havoc on sensitive eyes, throughout your trip or maybe just before you land, these shall ease.

A nail file – you can never find one of these when you most need them!